Odd Situation At MGM Today

[Feralpeg]

I find it very odd that a google search turns up nothing at all on this....surely the first recorded kidnapping at a Disney themepark would be newsworthy? However much the company might wish to supress it, it's hard to believe that would even be possible. What happened to the alleged kidnapper? How do we know, aside from your account of what happened on the bus, that the child was not simply separated and lost?

Maybe it was just a misunderstanding and once found there would be no reason to make a bigger deal out of it.

 

[Feralpeg]

A child was kidnapped during the 3:30 pm parade at MGM. It was a little girl with dirty blond hair. She was abducted by a woman wearing a blue jacket and jeans who also had dirty blond hair.

How do I know this? I just happend to be wearing a blue jacket and jeans. Both my daughter and I have dirty blond hair. My mother was also with us. As we were leaving the park, we were asked by a police officer if anything unusual had happened to us during the parade. We said no, and continued on to the AK bus. The next thing we know, there was a security official at the door of our bus, to keep us on and everyone off. The police officer then boarded the bus and explained what had happened. He then proceeded to question us to determine whether or not my daughter was the kidnapped little girl. Of course she was, and after he was able to verify the fact, we were allowed to go on our way.



We checked with guest services the next day and were told that the missing child had been located and reunited with her family.

Please, please, please keep your children close. I cannot even imagine what that family went through.

Kristy

Kristy,

Thank you for clearing this up. I was beginning to think I'd imagined the entire thing. I'm so glad they found the little girl.

 

[snowbunny]

Feralpeg: I was referring to the statement by catherinesmom that the incident was a kidnapping. There seems to be no proof of this at all...lost children on the other hand are probably a frequent occurence, and I am gratified but not surprised that there are very specific procedures in place at WDW for dealing with such situations.

 

[catherinesmom]

I wondered how long it would take for someone to suggest that I was making this up.

I am just telling you what the officer from the Sheriff's Office told me, that a child had been kidnapped. He stated very specifically that she had been kidnapped, not lost. If you choose not to believe me, that's your choice.

 

[TDC Nala]

so was the kidnapper busted?

I bet it was someone trying to kidnap the public works street performers. They are so funny. I would love to take them home with me.

I don't know, I've never seen those guys actually do any WORK...

 

[Mom2Ashli]

If they were searching cars *leaving* the park then there must have been a child missing and assumed abducted.

I hope they are found safe.

That is the same thing I thought.

 

[stenogoddess]

I'm glad to hear that all came out well in the end. It's also serves to remind me and my husband that when we take my brother and sister (eight and ten) for their first trip to Disney that our moto has to be Constant Attention! We don't have children ourselves, so we aren't used to operating in that mode. Thanks for sharing the story, both the beginning and the conclusion.

 

[bytheblood]

I think I would take an inconvenience for safety any day!

Thank you Disney!

 

[iradi8]

Feralpeg -- Can the people you know clear this up? Is the story true?

 

[Feralpeg]

Feralpeg -- Can the people you know clear this up? Is the story true?

I don't know. All I know is that they stopped every car leaving MGM at around 4pm. They looked in each car and asked to have each car trunk opened. An officer looked in each trunk and then let the cars exit the parking lot. At the same time, we saw a police helicopter hovering over the park.

My first thought was that a child was missing. I tried to get confirmation from various neighbors who work at Disney. Unfortunately, they haven't been around. Several are out of town for the holidays.

There has been nothing on local news. That would lead me to think that whatever happened was rectified with a happy ending. I'm sorry that I can't give a better answer.

Personally, I think we should all just be happy knowing that Disney has great procedures in place should something happen in the parks.

 

[snowbunny]

I wondered how long it would take for someone to suggest that I was making this up.

I am just telling you what the officer from the Sheriff's Office told me, that a child had been kidnapped. He stated very specifically that she had been kidnapped, not lost. If you choose not to believe me, that's your choice.

I never said nor suggested that you were making this up. What I said was, I find it impossible to believe that even Disney could keep an attempted kidnapping off the local news, let alone every national cable station.

 

[bigmerle1966]

I'm glad to hear that all came out well in the end. It's also serves to remind me and my husband that when we take my brother and sister (eight and ten) for their first trip to Disney that our moto has to be Constant Attention! We don't have children ourselves, so we aren't used to operating in that mode. Thanks for sharing the story, both the beginning and the conclusion.

One thing that might be helpful, if you haven't already done so, is to tell the kids if they get seperated from you to look for a CM. Show them the very first day what the CM badge looks like, since people can buy ones that look similar. We did this when we went in June with my friends kids, while at MGM her youngest wandered away and when he couldn't see us he went and found a CM.

 

[sha_lyn]

very good advise. We've always done that no matter where we've gone. When DS was 4 or 5 he and a friend from preschool were separated from us during a walkathon at Zoo Atlanta. Somehow they wandered off from the large group of kids on the kids walk. DH was behind them, but lost sight around a corner, and then they were gone.
DS took his friend by the hand and told her knew what to do. He went right up to someone that worked for the zoo, and told him they were lost.

 

[sha_lyn]

I find it very odd that a google search turns up nothing at all on this....surely the first recorded kidnapping at a Disney themepark would be newsworthy? However much the company might wish to supress it, it's hard to believe that would even be possible. What happened to the alleged kidnapper? How do we know, aside from your account of what happened on the bus, that the child was not simply separated and lost?

While you might not have meant to say that you didn't believe catherinesmom.... IMHO your post (see my highlighten parts) comes off as very sarcastic and doubtful that that catherinesmom was being truthful

 

[mickeyfan2]

I believe what happened to catherinesmom on the bus. Disney might have thought it was a kidnapping, but maybe in the end it was just a lost parent and the lady was helping her.

 

[CinRell]

I live in cleveland and while I, like everyone else, assumes you'd hear about an accident.. involving deaths.. on the news everytime it happens it's actually very rare unless a news crew happens to get on the scene. My ex fiance worked for the ohio department of transportation and has to go help "cleanup" these accidents. They happen at LEAST several times a month.. some times of year they happen weekly. Some stories are so horrendous I was shocked the news didn't pick it up but.. they rarely did in comparison to how many did happen so I don't find it hard to believe at all that the news didn't cover. It SEEMS we hear it all but if you knew how often it happens in reality you'd be shocked.

 

[NotUrsula]

Remember folks, even if it was a "kidnapping", it would most likely be a custodial parent dispute situation; not a "stranger snatch" scenario. If a custodial parent somehow found out that the other parent was planning to NOT return the child after the visit at WDW, getting the child back from a theme park instead of in another setting might be the best method to try to block it.

 

[bride03]

We were told that a child was snatched a few years ago when we were at the MK. They locked down the park and everyone was searched when leaving. They made parents wake up all sleeping children. The child was found - head shaved and drugged and dressed in different clothes as the person tried to leave the park. Thank goodness for Disney security!

That gives me the creeps, I seriously got goosebumps.

 

[minnie61650]

Remember folks, even if it was a "kidnapping", it would most likely be a custodial parent dispute situation; not a "stranger snatch" scenario. If a custodial parent somehow found out that the other parent was planning to NOT return the child after the visit at WDW, getting the child back from a theme park instead of in another setting might be the best method to try to block it.

That is what most likely happened. If an attempted "stranger snatch" had happened charges would have been filed and would be a part of the public
Police files. The media would have picked up on it right away. However, if it was a custodial battle than it would not make the news. I am so glad she was found so quickly thanks to Disney's quick actions.

 

[mickeyfan2]

That is what most likely happened. If an attempted "stranger snatch" had happened charges would have been filed and would be a part of the public
Police files. The media would have picked up on it right away. However, if it was a custodial battle than it would not make the news. I am so glad she was found so quickly thanks to Disney's quick actions.

This is true. Most kidnappings in the US are by non-custodial parents not strangers. That is why when a strangers does the kidnapping it becomes BIG news. So if you are still married to your kids parent, there is very little chance you will ever have a child kidnapped.